Posts Tagged ‘pediatric nutritionist Ontario’
Being Misunderstood by Others When Eating Differently than the Majority
And you know what we all face when we go about things differently than the majority? Contempt, anger, labels of “crazy” or “obsessed” or “ignorant” or we are told to ‘live a little’ or ‘you only live once.’ For some of us, relationships end because of our food choices! Some of us end up extremely isolated because attending social functions is too difficult emotionally. Some of us forfeit careers because we end up home schooling, due to the fact that our children cannot eat the foods that other children eat.
Read MoreNew Canadian Guidelines for Introducing Solids to Babies
As a pediatric nutritionist, I am deeply concerned by these new guidelines. No babies are born with mature digestive systems. And the digestive systems of today’s babies are at even more risk than the digestive systems of babies born in previous generations, due to the toxicity of the world we live in today. And more babies than ever are being born by caesarian, which means these babies are already born with less good bacteria in their digestive tract than babies who go through the vaginal canal and collect good bacteria there. Because a baby’s digestive system is rapidly developing in their first year, the last thing a parent would want to do is to introduce hard-to-digest foods to a baby. All of the new recommended first foods for baby are hard to digest compared to other foods i.e. meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, legumes and cereal!
Read MoreA Nutritionist’s Take on Canada’s Food Guide
The number of recommended fruits and vegetables is wonderful. I only have three concerns. Counting juice as a serving, when it is often not fresh and is laden with chemicals and sugar, simply doesn’t make sense to me. The nutrient content of frozen and canned fruits and vegetables is not the same as fresh fruits and vegetables yet no distinction is made in the guide. Secondly, no mention is made of the need for organic fruits and vegetables. The soil in which our ancestors’ produce was grown, was loaded with nutrients, far more than the soil of today! Organic is truly the best we have these days.
Read MoreRange of Colours on Your Plate Represents Range of Nutrients
Each type of food calls upon a particular set of digestive enzymes to digest it. If those digestive enzymes are continually called upon and your digestive system is not strong (as is often the case these days), the particular digestive enzymes needed to digest your favourite food will wear out. It is no coincidence that the top allergens in North America are dairy and wheat – the two foods that we consume the most. Each time we eat wheat, in our breakfast (toast), lunch (sandwich) and dinner (pasta), we use the same digestive enzyme to break down the wheat. If we start to experience bloating or fatigue or maybe even acquire celiac disease, these are all signs that our digestive enzymes for wheat are not working properly. This is why digestive enzymes are being taken in supplement form, more and more often these days.
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